Attorney Kim Nam-jun, who chairs the TF for enhancing trust in police investigations, presides over a meeting of the Police Investigation Reform Committee for Public Trust at the Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Yonhap]
Attorney Kim Nam-jun, who chairs the TF for enhancing trust in police investigations, presides over a meeting of the Police Investigation Reform Committee for Public Trust at the Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Yonhap]

A police reform panel has decided to review whether the investigation into the Jang Yun-gi case was flawed — and to draw up institutional improvements — after the facts of the case are established.

The Police Investigation Reform Committee for Public Trust held its second meeting Monday at the Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, discussing the Jang Yun-gi case and broader institutional reform tasks before briefing reporters.

Committee chair Kim Nam-jun said the facts appeared largely consistent with what had been reported in the media. "However, since the investigation is still ongoing and nothing has been finalized, we decided to receive an additional briefing and review institutional improvements once the case has reached a certain level of resolution," Kim said.

"Resolution of the case" in this context does not refer to the indictment of a specific suspect or a first-instance court ruling, but rather the point at which comprehensive investigation results covering all those involved are announced.

The committee was also briefed Monday on eight institutional reform tasks prepared by the Korean National Police Agency.

The tasks cover improving the police rotation personnel system, overhauling the recusal system for spouses and direct relatives, strengthening internal controls including bans on case inquiries and private contact, establishing a new internal corruption investigation unit under the agency, enhancing protection for crime victims, operating a subcommittee of the investigation review board dedicated to cases involving women and juveniles, reinforcing an evidence-centered investigative framework, and examining the transfer of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's forensic analysis functions to the police.

The committee heard general explanations of each task and held a question-and-answer discussion, agreeing to take up each item in depth at future meetings. The panel also noted that the current agenda was proposed first by the Korean National Police Agency, and that committee members would be able to put forward new agenda items for discussion going forward.

The committee identified strengthening oversight of police authority and improving investigative capacity as the two key directions for future reform.

"Given that corruption has occurred, oversight of police authority must be further strengthened," Kim said. "At the same time, since police will be handling all cases at the primary level going forward, raising the quality and capability of investigations is also a critical task."

He added that while the police have performed relatively well in responding to violent crime, economic, corruption and property crime cases require comparatively more work. "We need to strengthen investigative capacity in those areas," he said.

The committee was also briefed Monday on the current state of disciplinary actions against police officers. The data will be used to develop reform recommendations that analyze disciplinary reasons by rank and take working conditions into comprehensive account.

The next meeting will focus on protection of crime victims as its main agenda item, and a roundtable with victim support organizations is scheduled for Thursday.

In addition, Song Ran-hee, standing representative of the Korea Women's Hotline, was newly appointed as an outside committee member to ensure that victims' perspectives are reflected in the reform process. The panel is also pursuing the appointment of one additional legal professional with a prosecutorial background, though that has not yet been finalized.

The committee was launched July 27 to carry out a broad overhaul of the police investigation system in the wake of the Jang Yun-gi case.


forest@heraldcorp.com